The Truth

That's right I have the pictures to prove that I'm really on a job, you know doing work, and not off spending the summer with my "other" wife and child. I'm still in Sterling Colorado a verdant wilderness of farmer's fields and dry grass. This first photo is of the rig itself. The big box with the words Excell 3 written on it is the doghouse. The driller and the rig hands use that to monitor the information our systems put up and record data of their own. Mostly its a spot for them to take their breaks and get out of the weather if its bad or to treat me like an invader when I stop in to check our systems or to ask a question about whats going on.

This picture is from a different angle. The important thing to notice is all the pipe hanging from the monkey grip. This is the pipe they just pulled out of the hole. When I took this picture the hands(rig crew) were taking the pipe down and planning to load up with a smaller diameter drill pipe.

This is the shaker which the mud flows into and is shaken. The liquids are shaken through some screens and the drilled up rock falls off the edge into that black pool of water. The liquid falls into a pit under the shaker and gets pumped back into the hole.

This is our gas detection device mounted on the side of the shaker. The bottom of the machine sits in a pool of mud that flows out of the hole and into the shaker. The pooled mud is stirred and the gas released is detected in our gas system. Can you tell it gets alittle muddy around here?

This is one of the worms(rookie rig crew) grabbing a sample for us. Usually I have to get as dirty as him to get the sample myself. On this rig however we are lucky enough to have them get it for us.


This is a photo to show how dangerous my job is. I have to hurdle and duck in the mud all these cables and tubes to get to the shakers which are up the stairs on the left. These cables carry water, high pressure air, the mud, and electricity. I am so glad I have a hard hat.

These pumps go to.......... I have no clue what they do or where they go. They arrived on site one day while I was gone and they do something. I don't know what, I just hope they don't blow up.

Now on to my work enviroment.

This is the little office in our trailor which has our EDR machine(the computer in the back) and my lead's computer which is used to file reports and track our information.
This is the dirty part of our office. We bring the sample in and wash it in the wash sink. Part of the sample gets put on a small aluminum tray to look at under the microscope. The rest of the sample gets baked into cupcakes........no we don't bake it. The sample gets dried outside in the sun and packed away as part of our reports. The metal box with the goggles attached is the black light we use to see if oil is present in the sample.
This is the living space where my real work is done. You can tell I'm suffering with a kitchen, a couch, and satellite TV. Behind the door in the back is our bathroom and bedroom. We can't use the bathroom because all the plumbing isn't hooked up(I learned my lesson last time in Rifle). The bedroom is usually a nap room for both of use but my lead Sam sleeps there during my shift sometimes so if I need him in an emergency he's there to help. The problem is that Sam can sure generate some really potent sweat. Because of this I usually, on my shift, close that door and stay out of there. When the shift is over I retire to the illustrious Fountain Lodge #5, A.K.A. the chatue #5.

This is my bed with my grandma's quilt on the bed. I just hate those thin dressy blankets motels have on top so I threw them to the curb and got comfey with a good blanket. This room never escaped the 70's with the pink headboard, baby blue curtains, and this hideous bathroom. Also if you look in the mirror you can see the dressy orange blanket on Sam's bed. Have I mentioned that the colors made my eyes ache.
Thanks for letting me dispell any rumors that I'm just off having the time of my life with another family. There really is a rig. There really is a terrible motel room. Lastly there really is satellite TV. Lastly, for real this time I mean it, is a poo story so Mom Barrand you can stop reading from here on.

The only toilets on site are these porto potties and they are terrible. Not dirty so much, a little dusty maybe, but not very dirty. First they sit in the sun all day becuase of their position and from the photo you can see that they are next to a giant diesel engine whose exhuast blows onto the porto potties. This causes it to stink really back so I always hold my #2's until nightime when its had some time to cool off. The engine also causes two other problems; vibrations and noise. So when I #2 it's pitch black, warm, deafening, and vibrating. Now after weeks of this I worry that I won't return to normal when I get home. It'll be like the last few paragraphs in the book Hatchet when he gets home and the author tells you he was super nervous like an animal for the rest of his life and never felt comfortable in the city again.